1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bomb manufacturing processes in which aluminum powder is used as an ingredient of the bomb explosive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, a common method in the manufacture of bombs and the like has been to place "hat boxes" (containers) on a conveyor belt and dump appropriate amounts of the various components of the explosive composition into them from measuring hoppers placed at strategic points along the conveyor belt. When the "hat boxes" containing the various components of the explosive composition reach the end of the conveyor belt they are manually picked up, their contents are dumped into melting kettles for mixing and pouring into bombs and the "hat boxes" are sent back, via another conveyor belt, for refilling.
The above-described process is satisfactory for use in the manufacture of small quantities of bombs (a few hundred per day). However, in order to manufacture larger numbers of bombs (thousands per day), it has been found necessary to eliminate the "hat boxes" and their manual handling at the end of the conveyor belt and replace this technique with more automated means. It has been found that the process can be greatly speeded up by merely dumping appropriate amounts of explosive powder (TNT, Composition B or the like), fuel (metallic powder) and other ingredients directly onto the conveyor belt so that amounts of the combined ingredients dump directly from the end of the conveyor belt into the melting kettles for further handling. However, particularly because of the metallic powder used, this process is hazardous and this process is extremely hazardous when aluminum powder is used as the fuel.
Once aluminum powder is on the conveyor belt in contact with the other ingredients of the explosive composition and in the presence of large amounts of air, an electric spark or even heat caused by friction somewhere along the belt can set off dust explosions. Even aluminum powder alone in the presence of plentiful air is hazardous. It is, accordingly, an objective of this invention to negate the above-described hazard.